1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to separators and particularly to separators for removing sand, cuttings, and the like from mud used in a well drilling operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the process of drilling wells for recovering oil, gas, water, and the like, it is customary to introduce a drilling fluid, commonly referred to as mud, into the drill string. The mud circulates fom a mud pump, through the drill string to the bottom of the well bore, picks up the bit cuttings and brings them to the surface in a constant stream.
As the mud is a carefully blended mixture of ingredients such as bentonite clay, caustic soda, corn starch wood fiber, and the like, it is necessary to preserve the mud for future use. Accordingly, as the mud emerges from the well through a flow line, it is conventionally passed onto the vibrating screen of a shale shaker. The screen allows the mud to pass through to a ditch beneath the shaker, while the cuttings are retained on the screen and then unloaded for final discard.
In addition to the standard shale shaker, U.S. Pat. No. 1,458,234, issued June 12, 1923, to Miller, shows another device intended for the separation of particles from a well drilling fluid. In the Miller device, air under pressure is introduced into a container of drilling mud. The air rises within the container and causes a concentration of heavier particles which migrate toward the lower end of the container by gravity, while the clean mud liquid flows over a baffle at an upper end of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,577,754, issued Dec. 11, 1951, to Hardinge, shows a classifier whereby particle laden fluid is disposed within a container. The particles settled by gravity upon an upwardly inclined conveyor which removes them from the container. U.S. Pat. No. 1,050,598, issued Jan. 14, 1913, to Bassett, shows a mechanism for separating gold from gravel bearing water. The mechanism includes an inclined box having an inlet at the top of the incline. A plurality of baffles extend transversely of the box and create eddy currents in the water as it passes thereover. These eddy currents tend to allow the gold to settle between the baffles.